In the communications and creative industry where I work, we try new things, push boundaries, and stay open to new ways of communicating. That often takes perspective shifts – through Six Thinking Hats, exchanges with colleagues and partner networks, inspiration at events, even visits to the art museum. All of it is in service of working as creatively as possible. But what does the new era of AI-powered tools mean for creativity? For the record: this text was not written by ChatGPT. ;)

AI can certainly be a helpful tool for the creative industry. Generative AI like ChatGPT or DALL·E can streamline workflows and save time. But where does this journey lead? We already see AI-written political speeches and entire animations in which everything – from the story and moving images to the voiceover – was created by AI. Which brings me to the question: What is creativity still worth to us? Do we still need “the creatives”? Do we still need agencies?

AI Is Creating a New Throwaway Society

Put simply: what value do we want to assign to communication today? In my view, we risk sliding into a new throwaway culture. Not of physical goods; that is rightly out of bounds, but of communication that is generic and mass produced in seconds. We are repeating the same mistakes, now in digital form. The flood of messages, ads included, already overwhelms us. Many people can focus only briefly and lack the bandwidth to process complexity or extract what is relevant. My concern is that AI will not only fuel this trend but accelerate it. The feeling of having missed something, of being out of the loop, will intensify. “Digital detox” will take on a new meaning.

How do we push back? I’m convinced the answer, as so often, is to find the right balance. That means setting the right mix between human and machine.

The Limits of AI

AI still cannot grasp the quiet tones of communication: the interpersonal, humor, the in-between. It cannot reliably see context or make judgments, and those are essential to communication. It will also never understand an organization in its entirety. Organizations are made of people whose layered interactions are too complex and too shaped by subjective perception. Only people can understand people in depth. Which brings us back to the question: do we still need agencies? Yes. Only people have the sensitivity and awareness to make sound, strategic creative decisions together.

Even if it might seem otherwise, I am pro-AI. It is not the end of creativity; it just changes it. AI-powered image generators enable our designers to create images that would otherwise have stayed in their imagination and never reached a (digital) canvas. It lets us draft and refine copy faster. It takes on routine processes and frees up room for creativity. That extra time lets our clients and our team focus together on strategy and problem solving. In the end, we still make the decisions, and not AI. Or do you see it differently?

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This piece was inspired by a program on 3sat, the German-language public culture channel, which I recommend: https://www.3sat.de/kultur/kulturdoku/kollegin-ki-uebernimmt-102.html

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